The ENGL amp meant for METAL!!!

I have came down to these choices of these ENGL amps to get but I'm not sure which one will suit me best. The list is: Powerball, Fireball, Savage, Invader, and Ritchie Blackmore. I want a thick, evil, tone that will also be nice cleans but to me all it matters is the GAIN and Menacing it is!!! Also I want one to be worth buying and not wasting all my money on a amp thats not even worth. I dont want the gain to be a fizzy and muddy, but tight and heavy. So which one should I get and be worth it.

I have came down to these choices of these ENGL amps to get but I'm not sure which one will suit me best. The list is: Powerball, Fireball, Savage, Invader, and Ritchie Blackmore. I want a thick, evil, tone that will also be nice cleans but to me all it matters is the GAIN and Menacing it is!!! Also I want one to be worth buying and not wasting all my money on a amp thats not even worth. I dont want the gain to be a fizzy and muddy, but tight and heavy. So which one should I get and be worth it.

I say Fireball... I hear it's really dark distortion and the Powerball is bright.

I own a powerball and it is heavy and evil enough for me, but you should test them first.

the fireball is the smaller brother of the Powerball. It has 2 channels and one gain stage. The Invader is the top amp from Engl along with the Savage SE. Don´t know that much about those amps, but the gain reserves should be plenty.

It also depends on are you only going to switch betwen clean and evil sound. Then I would chose the Powerball, but if you need a more versatile amp, go for the the savage or the Invader and if you got the cash for the Invader then I would maybe go for the Savage SE instead...

If you want more info wait for either dave MC, hopepoisoned or if *Def* is still here him.

I say Fireball... I hear it's really dark distortion and the Powerball is bright.

No and no.

The Fireball doesn't have all that much different distortion from the Powerball, and the Powerball isn't very bright at all.

The Fireball is basically a revamped Savage 60, which is the Savage 120's 2 channel little brother.

The Blackmore is a 4 channel head similar to the powerball but its said to be a bit more 'open' feeling.

IMO The ultimate metal amp is the Powerball. I've played almost all the ENGLs and I like the Powerball the most.

It also depends on are you only going to switch betwen clean and evil sound. Then I would chose the Powerball, but if you need a more versatile amp, go for the the savage or the Invader and if you got the cash for the Invader then I would maybe go for the Savage SE instead...

If you want more info wait for either dave MC, hopepoisoned or if *Def* is still here

Or me, the 2nd longest time ENGL fanboy on the board (thanks to *Def* of course)

Like I said, the fireball is like a Savage 60, which is a smaller version of the Savage 120. The whole "Fireball" thing is misleading and people always think its a stripped down powerball, which it is not.

The invader, as far as I can tell, is pretty shit. I'd stay away from it.

The Savage SE isn't in production anymore. Its EXTREMELY rare (I've never played one, so its gotta be rare) outside of a few places in Europe with plentiful amounts of ENGLs.

You could get the SE, which probably their most versatile amp (due to midi and extra controls to allow a more flexible channel) or the Savage 120, which is pretty flexible itself.

I like my Powerball just fine, though. I get great clean, classic, crunch and lead tones out of it without having to adjust any dial. All I have to do is hit the footswitch and maybe split a coil of my bridge pickup (BKP MM) or neck pickup (Lawerence L-500L) (depending on what clean tone I want) and that's it. I've never had any issues with getting different tones at all the entire length of time I've owned it.

Plus, I think you need to try them- they all sound a little different, from my own experience, and also what I've read of lots of other people's opinions, everyone likes a slightly different tone.

For example, the fireball was more "metal" than the blackmore when I tried it, but I liked the blackmore more, even for high gain.

if you're after metal, though, main ones to look at are powerball, fireball, SE, Savage (haven't tried), Savage SE (if you can find one), Blackmore, Invader (haven't tried). Most of the heads, basically.

I'm an idiot and I accidentally clicked the "Remove all subscriptions" button. If it seems like I'm ignoring you, I'm not, I'm just no longer subscribed to the thread. If you quote me or do the @user thing at me, hopefully it'll notify me through my notifications and I'll get back to you.

Quote by K33nbl4d3

I'll have to put the Classic T models on my to-try list. Shame the finish options there are Anachronism Gold, Nuclear Waste and Aged Clown, because in principle the plaintop is right up my alley.

Quote by K33nbl4d3

Presumably because the CCF (Combined Corksniffing Forces) of MLP and Gibson forums would rise up against them, plunging the land into war.

Agreed, with any ENGL you listed you'd have no problems getting awesome metal tones. In general, the more you pay for an ENGL, the more versatile it will be. The high-gain will always be good, but some better than others depending on taste. If you want simplicity and low price, the Fireball would be best; if you need tons of versatility and options, an Invader would be best. (Well, an SE would be better, but the Invader from what you listed). I would recommend trying them out if possible, as they're all different, but you'd have a hard time going wrong with any of them.

I'm an idiot and I accidentally clicked the "Remove all subscriptions" button. If it seems like I'm ignoring you, I'm not, I'm just no longer subscribed to the thread. If you quote me or do the @user thing at me, hopefully it'll notify me through my notifications and I'll get back to you.

Quote by K33nbl4d3

I'll have to put the Classic T models on my to-try list. Shame the finish options there are Anachronism Gold, Nuclear Waste and Aged Clown, because in principle the plaintop is right up my alley.

Quote by K33nbl4d3

Presumably because the CCF (Combined Corksniffing Forces) of MLP and Gibson forums would rise up against them, plunging the land into war.

The ENGL Powerball will give you GAIN for days. Without going into details (read the user's manual on the ENGL website), it is a very versatile amp. If you want heavy sounding distortion then look no further. Awesome clean channel as well. Looking for some soundclips, go to www.rocksolidamps.com

The trick to finding your sound is not in the bass or treble knobs, but in the way you adjust your Mid-Open, Mid-Focused, Presence, and Depth Punch knobs. Just don't max every knob and expect to have a killer sound. Take your time and find the setting you like. Make sure you write it down for future reference.

Also remember, the sound that you hear on a CD may be hard to replicate in a live situation or in your bedroom. The CD sound has been processed and layer somewhat, so trying to get the exact sound might be difficult.

Patience is the key. If you don't take your time and give the amp a complete try, you will just keep buying amps. I have played/owned: Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, Krank Revolution, Peavey 6505, Laney MXD120, Line 6 Spider II.